That's Why Fireflies Flash
by LoveAlwaysKaity
Summary: "She's grown up believing in fairytales for the sole fact that it's better than reality. " Two girls. Two boys. One lakehouse that's all to themselves for a month. Will they capture themselves in a summer romance even if beautiful things never last? Jarley/Kyder. Rated T for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

THAT'S WHY FIREFLIES FLASH  
KYDER PUCKEROSE

* * *

She's grown up believing in fairytales for the sole fact that it's better than reality. Life wasn't cruel per se but she felt it could be a hell of a lot better.

Her mother died in childbirth leaving her with Cinderella for a half-sister and father that never bothered to come out of his home office. The longest conversation she had had with her father consisted of three sentences. _Hi_. She had said leaning against the doorframe of Mr. Wilde's office. _How you've been Marley_? He called out from the computer but his green eyes never turned away from the LCD screen. He never saw the cut that blood spilled out of on her knee. _Good_. She had replied before leaving.

She was ten years old. They hardly spared each other looks after that.

There's also a scar on her leg from the bike accident because she tried to learn by herself; wasn't like her father was going to teach her.

Sometimes she had to wonder why her mother ever married him in the first place seventeen years ago. He never engrossed himself in any conversation with either of his biological daughters. It made her wonder what it was like for the women he dated. Did they sit across the dinner table for two completely bored as he talked about the court law?

She grew up hating lawyers.

Kitty was probably the only thing that made growing up bearable. The blonde girl with the perfect everything was her older sister. She too had lost her mom, except it was in a car accident when they she seven years old. Sometimes she wondered if that was the base of the glue that held them together. They usually clashed and hardly agreed on anything, yet they did everything together.

But as much as they shared the same kind of loss it was different.

Kitty missed her mother and she missed the idea of one.

They were each other best friends in the early parts of their lives. Every night they would build a fort made out of blankets in their shared room, using one flashlight to illuminate the darkness. Kitty would tell her stories of what her mother had been like, given that they were a year apart in age. And Marley would give her full attention, drowning in both happiness and sorrow. When Kitty ran out of stories Marley would sing under her breath or create stories where they ruled the world.

Together they could do anything.

Somewhere along the lines things changed.

* * *

When high school came they were on two very different ends of the social ladder. She was the shy, naïve, quiet, and bookworm girl. And her half-sister was the golden girl. Head cheerio, popular, always getting invited to parties, swimming in a sea of a thousand affectionate eyes. The play room they had when they were younger morphed into the brunette girl's bedroom halfway through their freshman year. They didn't talk anymore and if they did, it was because Kitty needed help deciding what outfit to wear for some A-list party she wasn't invited too. She didn't mind though there were worse things happening in the world and she didn't hate Kitty. At least one of them was happy.

"Which one?" Kitty demanded, barging through the closed door and entering the lilac-colored room. In her hands she held up a pastel blue halter top and in the other was a devil red flimsy top that would just cover Kitty's chest and reveal her bare back. The girl could only assume that this was for the back to school party the hockey team was throwing.

"The blue one." She offered with a sweet smile.

"And this is why you don't get invited to anything," Kitty remarked with a roll of her eyes. "I know that Ryder might be into this whole prude act but you need to loosen up, Mar!"

Through gritted teeth and sad eyes she replied, "Ryder and I are just friends." Those were probably the most overused words that fell of her lips when it came to Kitty. They had met in the beginning of her sophomore year; or as Marley liked to refer to it, the year from hell. Every jock in the school decided it would be fun to make her their personal punching bag. Somewhere along the lines she had developed an eating disorder wanting to disprove all the names they had thrown at her.

She had met Ryder in the library. The book she had wanted to read was on the top shelf and Ryder had been the one to get it down for her. He had been snickering with a boy that was just a couple inches shorter than him with smooth caramel skin. To this day she never knew his name and she never asked. She did however think that he was mysteriously attractive.

After that Ryder was the person she went to, to get all the books she needed that she couldn't reach. Easily they had formed a friendship and bonded over things that she never had in common with Kitty. She even helped him with his dyslexia, which he tended to struggle with more so at times than others.

He was the person who had found her passed out in the choir room after school one day. That was when all her lies had caught up to her, so to speak. Her father, who probably forgot she even existed, sent her off to a rehab center for the summer.

This was the first night she had been home. One week before their junior year of high school.

"Best friends, I thought?" Once again she witnessed those hazel eyes roll. "You should come tonight. Maybe you can meet someone with a little more game."

Her lips parted forming an 'o' shape. In the past two years Kitty hadn't even bothered to invite her to anything. Why did she all of a sudden have a change of heart?

"As I said you need to loosen up."

"I think I'll pass. Ryder is coming over later."

"Then bring him along." The agitation was clear in Kitty's voice. With a heavy sigh she looked away from her sister.

Who said no to Kitty Wilde?

* * *

Touching alcohol was never her thing and it probably never would be. Of course she had tried it. Wine was too dry. Beer was too plain. So she was the sober companion of Ryder who had absolutely no problem in going. She doesn't really remember when she ended up alone on the staircase but that's where she was; a full cup of beer in her hand that had gone warm. The music pulsed in her ears, a song that she didn't know and didn't really care for. It was Lil' Wayne or something of the sort. Listening to someone sound like they were mumbling words quickly into the microphone wasn't really her thing. Of course she was quiet, aimlessly watching Ryder attempt to dance among the rest of the student body.

If she was being honest he really didn't know how. She'd give him an A+ for effort, though.

Fiddling with the hole on the knee of her jeans she tried not to think about how typical this is of her. It's always everyone else having a good time around her and then there was her; all by her lonesome, on the outside looking in.

She felt that way a lot. Like there wasn't a place she belonged. Some of it had to do with the fact that she never knew her mother. Only a person's smiling face in photographs who was basically a stranger to her.

At some point her eyes had turned down to look at her beer and when she looked up she caught a flash of that smooth caramel skin out of the corner of her eye. The boy whose name she had never learned. He was in the middle of the crowd, dancing with such ease it was as if he was born to do it. In awe, she watched him, getting lost in the way he spun around to the sound of the drunken chorus of cheers.

"Maaaaarleyyyy!" A voice shrilled beside her. The spell that she had been under was broken as she looked away from the mysterious boy. Licking her lips, she placed her attention on a very drunk Ryder.

"I think it's time for you to go home." She whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes racked in his appearance noting that his hair was disheveled, as was his shirt. She was about to make a comment when Kitty bounded up beside them, an almost empty wine cooler in her hand.

"Come dance with meee!" The blonde girl giggled in slur. It looked like she was going to be escorting two people home.

"How about we go to the car? I can put on the radio and we can dance there." She offered, linking her arm with her sister's and Ryder's. Her heart hammered in her chest hoping that neither of them would pull her in any other direction. Kitty seemed to go for the whole radio thing and Ryder was dazed, looking around with the goofiest of grins on his face.

Dropping off Ryder proved to be extremely difficult because he wouldn't get out of the car.

"Come on, Rose!" He shouted into the night and her blue-eyes sharpened with a glare.

"Lower your voice, you're gonna wake up the neighborhood!"

"You owe me a dance!" He bellowed, taking a step forward and pulling her out of the driver's seat.

With one last final grown she took his hand and pulled her body a little closer to his. It wasn't chest to chest and she was sure he didn't even notice. They swayed for a couple moments before he pulled away so she could spin into his chest. She took the opportunity to pull him towards his front door. He fumbled over his own two feet and it gave her just enough time to let go of his hand and knock on his door.

His older sister came out and finally dragged him inside. She returned to find a car a crying Kitty.

"Is everything alright?" Marley asked, hesitantly as she got into the driver's seat. Starting the car she backed out from the curb and started to drive away from the Lynn resident.

"I'm so sorry," Kitty sniffled. "I'm so sorry." Her hair was also quite messy, much like Ryder's had been. And her mascara streaked down her face, visibly marking her tears path.

"Sorry for what?" Marley perked a brow, sneaking a glance before looking back at the road.

"I shouldn't—" Kitty tried. "I shouldn't have let those people ridicule you. I should have…I should have done something."

"It's fine, I'm all better now." The girl gulped, her stomach knotting with nerves. If she was being honest there were many days where she felt like relapsing. She had to take every day one day at a time. Rubbing her lips together she kept her gaze on the road, finally pulling into their neighborhood a few turns later.

"We should have spent this summer together." It's just above a whisper she's not even sure Kitty said it.

"W-What?" She choked out, pulling into their driveway.

"You heard what I said." Kitty snapped and then got out of the silver Toyota.

Later that night she had paraded into Marley's room, without permission of course, and they built a blanket fort.

Just like old times.

Nothing really changed that year, if she was honest. She didn't learn that mysterious guy's name, although she definitely dreamed of him dancing. Ryder was still her best friend. Her nose was still stuck in her books. She still kept to herself and did her best to ignore all the voices whispering about her.

The only thing that changed was that Kitty didn't ignore her anymore. They grew inseparable just like they had been before.

* * *

In one month they would walk down the halls as seniors. The fact that soon enough they would be going to college was a little daunting. She wouldn't have to live in that house anymore.

That luxury was something that she would get to experience early since Ryder had somehow gotten them to experience a "trip of a lifetime" as he called it. They were really just going to a lakehouse that one of his buddies rented for a month.

_A whole freaking month_.

He had invited Kitty to come along too, which was quite surprising because most of the time they couldn't stand to be in the same room. Something changed after the party but Marley wasn't really sure what. She wasn't complaining though. Her two favorite people were finally getting along. Sometimes she felt like they were a family; Kitty, Ryder, and her.

"Bring the velvet one that I bought you during spring break." Kitty commented, as she filed her nails on the edge of Marley's bed.

"No. I—I can't."

"Yes you can! You look sexy as hell and I won't let you leave this house without it."

The brunette girl groaned, a helpless look shining in her eyes. "I can't Kitty. Someone we don't know is going to be there and this bikini doesn't cover enough."

"_Jesus_," Kitty sighed. Her eyes had already rolled as she rose from the bed and grabbed her sister by the shoulders. "No one I am related too is going to show up in what? A one piece? That's suicide Marley! You look smoking in this swim-suit; you have _no_ reason to be insecure."

"Kitty…" She warned, her lips quivering into a frown.

"Don't Kitty me. Bring the bikini, you won't regret it." Then the blonde released her shoulders and returned to her position on the bed.

She winded up taking it.

* * *

They arrived at the lakehouse on July 31st. Kitty had decided to drive while she encompassed the back seat with Ryder. They were laughing while playing _Go Fish_ with a set of playing cards Ryder had in his bag.

For the third time in a row she had gotten the most matches and just like all the other victories she could call her own, she was giggling.

"Damn woman!" Ryder exclaimed. "I'm going to have to brush up on my go fish playing skills. I just got smoked by a girl!" In return Marley just swatted him on his arm. It wasn't too hard given he was dressed in a tank top and board shorts. Marley herself was wearing her bikini, per Kitty's request, with a black cover up designed with silver roses on it. She was so thankful that it went past her knee, covering her scar.

Once Kitty parked the car they all filed out together neatly, their luggage in hand. It didn't take them long to tackle the driveway and they were soon standing on the front steps. Ryder had ringed the doorbell his signature goofy smile on his face.

He had been the first to file in after an animated greeting with his friend. Marley was too busy looking at her feet to notice that Kitty had followed suit, although she just mumbled a hello before going through the door.

"So you gonna come in?" A smooth voice asked.

Shaking her head, she quickly matched her gaze to the person who had granted them such a vacation. "Yeah—" All the words that had piled themselves in her throat knotted together.

She was staring at the boy she had seen dancing at the party. The one whose name she had never learned.

The mysterious boy that was _oh so_ attractive.

Real easy on the eyes too.

"I'm Jake." He offered with a smile that made her heart do some incessant flip.

"M-Marley." She offered, walking through the door.

This was going to be one hell of a month.

* * *

**A/N**: This is going to be four chapters long. One chapter for each of the main character's point of view. This first one is in Marley's point of view. As you can see this is about Marley, Kitty, Ryder, and Jake. It's loosely based off the song Fireflies. I say loosely because it's not so much of the lyrics but rather what the song is about. Also this one is more of Jarley and it has Kyder if you squint. I hope you enjoy it and if you have any Kyder and/or Jarley prompts feel free to send them my way!


	2. Chapter 2

THAT'S WHY FIREFLIES FLASH  
KYDER PUCKEROSE

* * *

He always kept a watching eye on Marley, if he was being honest. She was the younger sister that he never had. Considering how close the two were, it was no surprise to anyone that he was protective of her.

Maybe that was why when he saw the way she blushed as she walked through the lakehouse doors, did he shake his head at Jake in a way to say _don't even think about it_.

In return he was met with a smirk that stayed on Jake's face as his eyes raked over Marley's body. The sight of it made his blood boil because he wasn't going let his best friend get hurt by his best bro. Don't get him wrong, he knew very well that Jake was a good guy. They wouldn't be so close if he wasn't, but in all the years that they knew each other, Jake Puckerman had always been a womanizer. He was a hook-up kind of guy not a relationship kind of one.

Marley didn't deserve to have her heart broken. Not after all she'd been through.

"Jealous much?" Kitty accused him, crossing her arms while watching the scene of Jake flirting with Marley.

"We're just friends." Ryder sighed, his eyes instantly drawing over the blonde's body. The moment he caught sight of her red lips he forgot whatever it was he had been feeling before. The image of the brunette girl's scarlet cheeks and his best bro's infamous smirk had disappeared completely. Instead his own skin heated up with the memory of the blonde girl's touch all over him. It was a feeling he drowned in more than he would like to admit.

He was attracted to her.

But who wasn't?

Honestly he still had the image of her in that small piece of silky fabric that she called a shirt, from the night of the party, embedded in his mind. Not to mention the skin of her back seemed endless as well as her legs in those tiny, tiny shorts.

_However they looked so much better on the floor_, he thought to himself.

His face flushed at the thought, a sheepish smile playing on his lips.

"The look on your face says otherwise." Her hands were now poised on her hips and she had turned to face him. As always her head was turned up a few inches because he had at least a couple feet on her. There was a defiant look in her hazel eyes and he swore he saw flecks of jealousy…but with Kitty he could never tell.

She always kept herself guarded.

It wasn't a big deal. If anything it made him want to get behind those walls even more than he already did.

"He's not exactly the relationship type of person." He shot back. "You would know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked with a meticulous perk of her brow.

"You practically did what he does to other girls to me." He stated, confused at himself for the words falling out of his mouth. Provoking one Kitty Wilde wasn't something he wanted to do. He would prefer swooning her.

Then again she didn't really seem like the person who was swoon-able.

"You left the room first." She remarked angrily.

"You told me to get out!" He said defensively. "I would have stayed there if you weren't so adamant on me getting out of there."

"Yeah well I wasn't going to be seen with you. Not to mention you weren't even that good." She turned away and rolled her eyes in typical Kitty Wilde fashion.

"The noises from your mouth suggest otherwise." He smirked and it was so unlike himself. But it wasn't like she reacted well to his dorky side (yet) and plus maybe the smallest part of him liked it.

"Well you know what they say, fake it until you make it." Deviously, Kitty sent him a wink before shaking herself out of her cover up and going outside.

His eyes watched her hips the whole time. He couldn't help himself.

* * *

"You're going to get a really bad tan line that your sister won't approve of if you don't take off that cover up." Ryder commented, sending a glance towards Marley who was lounging out on a chair.

"I don't feel comfortable taking it off." She mumbled and although she was wearing sunglasses there was a look on anguish swimming in her eyes. A thousand thoughts flowing through her mind, most of them probably the demeaning nicknames she was called. They were all lies, too bad she couldn't see that.

"You know you have nothing to be worried about. As your best friend, I'm here to tell you that you look absolutely breathtaking!" He exclaimed shooting her a dorky smile. His eyes shot towards the sapphire water, itching to feel it on his skin. His eyes however were itching to take in Kitty's body.

He licked his lips at the way the water dripped down her body and traced her every curve. He had gotten to do that once with his fingers and his lips. He wanted to do it again, though he wasn't quite sure he would get the chance.

"You're biased practically being my brother." He heard the girl beside him say; snapping him out of the spell Kitty had cast on him.

"Not really no." He looked at her, hearing the sliding glass door open and close. "You've always been beautiful to me."

She shook her head and blush mumbling a thank you. A smile toyed on his face as he got up and started to walk towards the water. He was almost out of earshot when he heard another voice.

"He's right, you know." He turned around to see Jake take the chair where he once was.

"About what?" Marley asked her brow perking as her cheeks flushed even more.

"You're beautiful." Then something weird happened. Jake Puckerman actually smiled instead of smirking. It made Ryder's brows pull together, as his feet stumbled backwards.

"Thank you—" Her head had bowed away shyly and her blush was five times more noticeable than it had been before. He had only seen her do that once and all it meant was that she was well on her way on falling for Jake.

Standing still he watched what he felt was an alternate universe.

"And you should also get in the water." Jake commented, leaning closer to her. "Can't have you going home on your first day here because you're not having any fun."

Jake's words had interrupted her formalities and he had picked her up bridal style, carrying her towards the water. Her cover up was still hugging her curves but a chorus of her heavenly laugh was falling from her lips. As well as squeals when she tried to protest for Jake to put her down. Her hands were loosely hanging from his neck and they passed Ryder in what felt like an eternity, though it was only a few seconds.

The splash of the water snapped him out of his shock. It was cool on his skin, refreshing considering the sun was beating down on skin that he could feel burning.

"As I said jealous." He heard a voice next to him.

Turning around he saw Kitty and just like before everything else around him disappeared. The chorus of laughs coming from Marley, the splashes of water, everything…all seemed miles away. Instead he looked down at Kitty, watching the way the water curved her face and fell by her lips. Instinctively his golden eyes relished in the way her shimmering sliver bikini covered close to nothing. Everything about her was so alluring he could only imagine how many people fell under her spell.

"No…" He started with another lick of his lips. "Marley could get hurt."

"What Marley needs is to loosen up and Puckerman needs to be tamed. She's a lot stronger than she seems."

"You do realize that Jake has slept with a good portion of McKinley's female population." He cocked his brow as his eyes slowly creeping up her body.

"Okay one, my eyes are up here." Her hand reached up to his chin and leveled their gazes. His heart already beginning to pick up speed. "And two, stop thinking that my sister of all people is going to let someone take advantage of her. She's never even been kissed and judging from the way she's not even getting out of her cover up—which I will do something about—he's not going to get her in her pants."

Her hand was still lingering on his chin and he had already been leaning forward. She had been taking steps back into the water as she spoke and he was like a sailor falling prey into the ballad of the Sirens.

All he had to do was lean a few more inches and he'd have their lips together connected in a kiss.

He wondered if it would feel even better sober since last time he had been utterly wasted.

On cue his eyes fluttered shut but instead of meeting her lips he felt himself tumbling over into the water. When his head broke the surface he moved his hands on the surface, splashing Kitty with a few hand-made waves.

"Is that the best you got?" She taunted, repeating the action his eyes squeezing shut to avoid getting water thrown into him. He shook his head, flipping the hair out of his face.

"I'm just getting started, Wilde." He said, easing his way closer to her as they splashed each other. There was a look of pure determination on Kitty's face and it made him bite his bottom lip. God, there wasn't anything more sexy.

"Well you're boring me." Kitty remarked feigning a yawn. As she did so he reached out under water and pulled on her leg. A scream sounded from her lips just as her head disappeared under the water. His hand trailed up her legs, that had been kicking but he could hold her down, and caught a hold of her waist as he pulled her out of the water. The water had only been up to his abdomen and now to about his shoulders since he knelt down.

For once they were leveled, face to face, and much to his excitement chest to chest.

"Am I boring you now…" He asked his breath ghosting over her lips as he leaned closer.

"Y-yes." She stuttered and because he was gazing into those oh so intoxicating green eyes of hers, he saw her eyelids flutter.

He was so close to getting what he wanted. So close to getting to know what her lips really tasted like because last time she had just tasted of fruity wine and him of stale beer.

The realization never dawned on him that Kitty had stood up a little bit in the water and eased him backwards, until his head was fully submerged underwater again. He was too shocked to fight her hand that pressed his chest down. So he waited a couple moments for her to pull him back up. And he wished he hadn't because now they were nose to nose.

"Nice try." She breathed over his lips, _teasing_ him and he was caught between hating her and loving her all at the same time. Then she stood up and swam away from him and too the shore before he could do anything.

He didn't have time to think on it either because Marley and Jake had already started splashing him.

In fact for the next few days he never interacted with Kitty. She seemed to stay far, far, away from him.

* * *

The sun had had its turn sitting above Ohio today, leaving the moon to illuminate the charcoal night sky as he helped Jake set up a fire. The past few nights he hadn't really gone outside. Instead he curled up on the couch with Marley and watched whatever was on television until she fell asleep. She had yet to go outside without her cover up on. It seemed that Kitty still hadn't had that talk with her. She didn't have a tan line though, which made him wonder if she had taken off just simply when he wasn't around. It also made him wonder if Jake had gotten her to take it off. Gulping he took a glance at the boy who was setting up the pit they had miraculously made. He was still in his board shorts, a basketball jersey hanging from his upper body.

The girls were probably showering and changing into a dry pair of clothes after being nearly outside all day. Ryder himself was in pair of cargo shorts and then a gray tank-top that outlined his body loosely. His eyes kept drifting towards the bag of Hershey bars that was sitting on one of the logs that surrounded the small fire.

Lighting a match and throwing it into the pit, Ryder sat down across from Jake. The flames illuminated both of their faces so they could see each other a little more clearly. For a moment he stayed silent as he watched Jake tune his guitar.

"Don't hurt her." He warned, knotting his hands together.

"Who?" His eyes never lifted away from the strings.

"Marley. She's not just someone you can hump and dump. She's practically my sister and I don't care that you're my best bro. I will kick your ass. She's already been through enough."

"Dude," Jake sighed and put his guitar to the side. Ryder hardened his gaze, still mocking the most serious expression he could manage. "I'm not going to hurt her."

"You've never even been in a relationship."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He could hear the anger in his friend's voice but he wasn't going to let his guard down. It didn't matter if Marley was stronger than she seemed, he needed to look out for her.

"It means don't go experimenting with her. She needs someone who won't leave her the moment after you have sex."

Jake scoffed and clenched his fists. "Do you really think I'm that fucking stupid?"

"I think I know your track record with girls and broken hearts."

"Yeah and I know you slept with Kitty, considering it's written all over your damn face, but I don't throw that back in your face." Jake seethed, returning to his guitar.

Ryder blew out a deep breath. How in the hell did he know that?

"I know you're a good guy and everything but she just got back from rehab and the last—"

"Do you think I don't know who she is?" Jake questioned his head shaking in disbelief, setting his guitar to the side. "I knew her before you even spared her a glance."

"You never knew who she was until I befriended her that day in the library." Ryder remarked, curious as to what he was going on about.

"I…" Jake started but he seemed to be struggling. His dark brown eyes averted towards the ground.

"Well spit it out." Ryder remarked, anxious to hear what the hell was going on. He felt nervous, like he did when his mom showed up on the front porch one day. A woman who he only half knew and left him and his family with a million unanswered questions.

He hated not knowing things. He hated being kept in the dark.

Especially when it came to the people he cared about.

For a moment his mind flashed to Kitty. Maybe that's why she captured his full attention so easily. Because she was like a puzzle he hadn't quite yet figured out.

He heard Jake take a heavy breath before the story started to tumble out of his mouth. "After I was born my mother lost her waitress gig. She volunteered at the hospital while she was in between jobs…and she met Marley's mom. When I was little I remember my mom shuffling through new recipes every once and a while, when she didn't know what to cook. Millie, Marley's mom, gave them to her. They were friends…all up until the day she died in the delivery room."

Ryder leaned back in shock and noticed the way Jake's jaw had clenched.

"Why didn't you ever tell her this? She's spent her whole life wondering about her mother. You—you have to tell her!" Ryder encouraged but Jake shook his head.

"I've tried. You met her in the library but you were coming there to meet me. For years I have tried to walk up to her, say something but I just couldn't. I can't."

Suddenly Ryder laughed.

"What's so amusing?" Jake asked, his brows tugging together.

"It's just," He tried through his laughter. "For someone who claims to have so much game, Marley clearly wipes it away. Not to mention have you been watching her? Jake Puckerman a stalker? As a matter of fact I think you've have no game." He leans over in laughter, but it dies in his throat when he looks up to see Jake staring at him with this solemn look plastered on his face.

"What?"

"At least I don't drool like a lost puppy whenever Marley walks in a room. The moment Kitty walks in you're a goner, dude."

"Am not." Ryder defended.

Jake never got a chance to reply because the girls had walked out. Marley was in a stunning silver dress that hung just above her knees. Ryder offered her a small smile and waved her over, but then his eyes caught on Kitty.

She was wearing a white strapless summer dress that hugged her in all the right places. His mouth hung slightly agape, his eyes devouring her curves.

"You're totally drooling." Jake patted him on his back and it made Ryder flinch; he winded up falling onto the ground. Both girls sat down where Jake had been sitting before, the flames of the fire making them glow like angels.

Especially Kitty.

In fact she was all Ryder could concentrate on. Especially when they got the smores going and some chocolate caught on the skin underneath her lip. They were side by side at that point, Marley completely intoxicated with Jake and his guitar. Reaching up he gently wiped away the chocolate and wiped his thumb clean with his tongue.

"You had a little something."

And he swore that in the firelight she blushed at what he said.

Maybe she was swoon-able after all and he had two weeks left to find out.

* * *

**A/N**: So this one is a little more Kyder-centric given the fact that it's in Ryder's point of view. However there is also Jarley mixed in (directly and indirectly) and I tried my best to balance it out. I hope you guys like it and it'd be cool if you could tell me what you think so far!


	3. Chapter 3

THAT'S WHY FIREFLIES FLASH  
KYDER PUCKEROSE

* * *

They say that you weren't supposed to live life with regrets but Kitty Wilde had a lot of them.

The first one was not being there for her own sister, especially when she had been going through the motions of an eating disorder. She knew that she could have seen the signs if she had even paid Marley any attention a couple years ago. But she didn't pay attention so instead she had to spend a whole summer alone because her sister had been in rehab.

Honestly she can't say that Marley being shipped off was a surprise, because it was no secret that their father paid them little to no attention. It wasn't that he didn't care about them, because he loved them both, but he was always consumed in his job. He was pretty passionate about being the best damn lawyer there was and giving a first class life for his family. But because of his insane work ethic he forgot the family he was supporting.

Marley was all the blonde girl had. So it's a wonder to her why she ever put so much space between them.

As of right now she was trying her best to make up for it.

The sun started to creak through the thin curtains that were draped over the window when she rolled over to face the bed that was on the other side of the small bedside dresser. At first she kept her eyes close, a sleepy smile on her lips from her dreams. It had only been a couple of nights since the bonfire they had shared with the boys. She would never admit it out loud when she awake but she was dreaming about Ryder. It had been a common occurrence for a while, her fleeting thoughts always circling back to the brunette boy. She couldn't get him out of her head ever since the night of the party before junior year.

Her lips still hummed from the way his thumb had gently traced the chocolate off of them. Not to mention after he had all but cleaned it off with his own mouth. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't remember all the things that he could do with his lips in that moment.

_In the dream it was that moment all over again in her dream but this time things would play out differently than they had. Her eyes were locked with his, completely unwavering. Her lips were twitching in a very shy smile—something that wasn't really her forte—and there was a matching smile growing on his face. There was music in the background that sourced from Jake's guitar but Kitty could barely hear it. All she could focus on was how the fire brought this honey look to Ryder's dark brown eyes. It was intoxicating to say the least. _

_Her heart slammed itself into her ribcage as she looked at him. A breath caught in her throat and she swore that his lips twitched into a smirk for just a moment. Heat flushed into her cheeks and for a moment she closed her eyes. A soft breeze prickled at her skin and her body shivered. _

_Ryder was slowly leaning towards her when she opened her eyes and this should have been the part where she looked away and made the witty remark of, "Let's not and you can say we did, since your reputation needs a boost." _

_Instead she was leaning forward as well a devious smirk on her face but her eyes sparkled with delight under the fire's flames. Their noses were just inches apart and his lips were _oh so_ close; her eyes had once again fluttered shut. "Ryder…" She whispered just under her breath. It wasn't because she wanted to say something to him or anything, his name just simply fell off of her lips. _

"_Wake up Kitty." She heard him whisper and the scene in front of her wavered. She opened her eyes to find the same thing she had before. Ryder leaning towards her except this time his eyes were already shut. So once again she closed her eyes, feeling his nose rub against hers. _

_This was it. She was about to kiss Ryder Lynn in front of Marley and Jake. Her heart screamed and her hand was already rising to cup his cheek—_

"Kitty!" She felt something soft on her face but it left a sting of pain. Lazily she opened her eyes to find Marley hanging over her. She was holding up a pillow, a smile of laughter on her face. "Wake up Sleeping Beauty."

The framework of a scowl outlined her lips as she reached up and rubbed her eyes. She looked past her sister and looked at the clock. It read seven forty-five in the morning. Usually she would never wake up this early but because the blue-eyed girl insisted on wearing her cover up at all times in front of the boys, Kitty had to oblige. There was no way she was going to let her sister go back to Lima with an uneven tan line.

That was just too horrendous for her to even think about. In fact she shuddered at the thought.

So waking up at seven forty-five had become a ritual because it gave them a substantial amount of time to tan, in which Marley wouldn't be swallowing her body in her cover up. The boys always slept till midafternoon since they did lord knows what after Marley and her turned in for the night. Honestly if she had to take a guess they were probably playing video games or something. She was also very much aware that Marley sometimes stayed up and watched a movie with Ryder.

Sometimes she found herself envious that she didn't get to be the person leaning into Ryder's side.

Flipping the covers out from over her legs she slides of the bed and stretches. "If you hit me with a pillow again to wake me up, I will wake you up much worse."

The brunette girl just looked at her and laughed while throwing the pillow behind her. "Consider it a one time thing." She just nodded and continued to stretch as Marley flattened out the cotton purple tank top that she had worn to bed. It was bundled up at the waistband of her gray sophie shorts. The blonde girl herself had that one that was pastel blue so she knew that it was long enough to be a gown.

With a heavy sigh she slacked her body and began walking towards the attached bathroom that was on the wall beside her bed, so she could retrieve her bikini. "I'm not really sure how long the boys stayed up last night but we might as well hurry anyways. The more time we spend in the sun, the better for you."

Reaching for the doorknob she walked into the bathroom. It wasn't as grand as the one that she had back in home but it definitely wasn't dingy. There were double vanities with marble countertops and engraved sinks. A mirror stretched across from one end of the countertop to the other. Not to mention it was crystal clear, not a spot was on it. The shower even had glass walls that fogged quite quickly when Kitty cranked up the hot water. There was even a bathtub but neither of the girls used it. Although they did prop their bathing suits over the edge so they could dry.

"Speaking of the boys," Marley started apprehension lining her words. It made Kitty's brow perk as she picked up her own bikini and then Marley's with her other hand. Turning around she tossed the violet one to her sister, her brow still perfectly arched. "Why did you whisper Ryder's name while you were sleeping?"

Instantly the blonde girl's blood ran cold and she took a deep breath through her nostrils. On the outside she was completely collected but on the inside she was freaking out. How in the world did she manage to say Ryder's name while she was sleeping? Why couldn't she just…oh, I don't know, not dream about him?

Rolling her eyes with ease she placed her hands on her hips. "Maybe you're running on fumes, Mar. I don't mumble loser's names in my sleep." The words came off her lips a little too fast. Like they always did when she was searching for a good lie and she didn't exactly have one.

Blue eyes pierced her green ones with a pointed look and it made her swallow thickly. The last thing she needed to do was actually admit that she had an attraction to Ryder. He _so _was not her type. She didn't need to date the practically guy version of her own sister. Okay well they weren't completely carbon copies of each other but they did have _a lot _in common.

She didn't date dorky ass losers. She was the head cheerleader not captain of the comic book club.

"You know the whole world may not be smart enough to see through your walls but I'm the exception. I've known you my whole life and I know when you're lying." Her voice was soft, understanding, with a spark of curiosity roaming underneath it all. That's how Marley always was.

"Then maybe I was just telling him off in my sleep? I don't know Marley. He's annoying and a waste of my time so can you just let it go?" She snapped defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. Her sister just kept staring at her. The pointed look in her eye as sharp as a razor blade but also soft and kind. She could be angry and frustrated but you could never rub that caring look out of her eye. Kitty knew that just like Marley knew that she was lying.

"Can you not talk about him like that?" Marley started in response to her calling him a loser. "Besides I thought you two had overcome the whole mortal enemy's thing. I mean not that you guys hated each other but you guys have really…formed something. It happened after that party…" She trailed off, and the blonde girl knew that she was trying to figure out why. She would never guess though because no one knew that she had slept with Ryder.

And no one would ever know.

Instead of replying she just turned around and stripped off her pajama shirt and tugged on her bikini. It took her a moment to tie it around her back but she managed to do it in a few short seconds. Then with ease she slipped her bottoms on. Marley was just watching her, with that same pointed look on her face.

"Can you stop looking at me as if I've just insulted Obama." Kitty rolled her eyes and turn back around towards her bed to fold up her night attire. "Just get changed."

"I see the way he looks at you, you know?" Marley told her earnestly.

She froze for a second, thankful that her sister couldn't see her face right now. It had fallen to convey hope and pure curiosity. He looked at her a certain way? It made her heart flip and she loathed it but at the same time she loved it. Everything that she was feeling though was probably just as obvious from where Marley was standing. The whole statement changed her posture and her sister would have noticed.

She stayed deadly quiet, just waiting for Marley to continue.

"He's my best friend, Kitty. I know him just as well as I know you. When you walk in the room his eyes are instantly on you. Sometimes I don't even think that he notices that he's doing it." She heard the brunette girl take a deep breath before she continued. "He really cares about you Kitty. So I'm asking you as his friend...I'm asking you as your sister to not break his heart. Because I know that no matter how much you try to hide it you care about him too."

Then with that she walked past Kitty into the bathroom, closing the door behind her so she could get changed.

* * *

It felt like she was burning. They had been laying out on the lounge chairs for lord knows how long and alternating to lying on their stomachs every so often. Desperately she wished that she had a pair of sunglasses but she definitely was not to have raccoon eyes.

That was just too unattractive. Not to mention tacky.

Her lashes were poised neatly on her cheekbones and she could hear the other people that were using the lake as their source of summer entertainment. As normal there were a couple boys that sent her and Marley a few whistles as if to say the appreciated the views. She did smirk in reply but she also rolled her eyes whereas her sister just blushed and turned her head away.

On cue the boys whistle and she just looked towards her sister. Her cheeks burned a violent scarlet and Kitty sat up.

"You know I don't get it. Those boys see you all the time in your bathing suit, hell they're checking your smoking bod'." She raised both of her eyebrows and pursed her lips for a moment. "Yet you're scared to reveal yourself in front of Jake. He may not give you an appreciative whistle—which honestly makes guys look like pigs anyways—but trust me he's into you. It also doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're into him. So what's the big deal?"

She watched her sister sit up slowly and look away, a thin line plastered on her lips. Honestly the blonde girl didn't get how Marley only ever saw herself a something horrible. It really baffled her and she hated how she didn't stop the people who made her think that sooner.

"It's just…" She started but then her lips clamped shut again. She was struggling on words.

"Well come on spit it out!" She demanded and she watched as Marley flinched and took a heavy breath.

"He's been with so many girls. Some of them being cheerios and I mean look at me and then look at you. You're like perfectly fit and then I'm just…me. I'm just slim. What if he doesn't like what he sees? I don't have like…huge assets." Her arms hugged her body close and her eyes were trained on the ground.

"Mar," Kitty started as she reached up and put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "I don't know why you see yourself as something so horrendous. Trust me I've seen the Cheerios and they have nothing on you. Most of them don't eat and they have to lather on the make-up to even remotely make them look presentable." She could feel Marley tense up under her fingers when she mentioned the not eating part and it made her sigh. She used her free hand to rub her eyes and for a moment she pursed her lips.

"What's your point Kitty?" Marley asked and it was just above a whisper.

"What's my point?" the blonde girl scoffed and sat up a little straighter. Anger coursed through her that was really just directed at herself for not doing something when Marley had really needed her. But then again who was to say that Marley didn't need her now? Squaring her shoulder's she just looked directly into her sister's eyes. "My point is that when you look into the mirror you shouldn't see something that you're not. I know that these things can't exactly be fixed in a day. I know that it takes time for someone to accept themselves. All wounds heal in time. But when you of all people look into the mirror you should only see beauty. Because sweet baby Jesus girl, you're beautiful. Honestly you don't have one thing of dad in you. You look like your mother. Which I know that I didn't know her hardly at all given I was like a one year-old but I've seen pictures. You have her eyes, her smile, her everything. And I don't think she would want you to see yourself like this. _I _don't want you to see yourself like this."

She took a deep breath as she finished, love and determination coursing through her green eyes. She noticed the tears filling in Marley's eyes so she reached forward and wrapped her arms around the girl. She felt Marley's' forehead tucked into the crook of her neck and she leaned her head against her sister's. Her arms tightened around Marley and she felt Marley do the same to her.

"Thank you." Marley cried into her skin, giving her a little a squeeze. A few moments later they pulled back the brunette girl gave her a small smile. It made Kitty smile victoriously because for the first time she felt as if she had finally done something.

She wondered if this was the feeling of living life without regrets.

* * *

It had been three days since Kitty had gotten through to Marley. The girl still hadn't decided to ditch the cover up and lounge in front of Ryder and Jake in just her bikini but it didn't bother Kitty. The blonde girl was quite confident that it would happen sooner rather than later. Or better yet never.

A long while ago she had decided that she wanted to be out of the sun and the water so she was wrapped up in a towel, as she munched on some watermelon that she had found in the fridge. She had gone in the water and had been swimming around for about an hour with no one in particular but she still felt like she was on fire. It was blazing outside and honestly tasting something so cold against her lips; it made her shiver in delight.

"Mind if I get some of that too?" She heard a voice call and she opened her eyes just in time to see Jake reach around her and pluck a piece in his mouth.

"What's the point of asking if you're just gonna take some anyways?" Kitty retorted raising her brow as she smirked.

"Well although this is my family's lakehouse my mom did manage to teach me some manners." He smirked at her, his teeth a dazzling white. Reaching forward he grabbed another piece and placed it on his tongue.

She took a moment to take in his appearance. He was just in his swimming trunks seeing as he came from outside and his towel was hanging around his neck. His chest was on full display, his abs perfectly carved from all the dancing he did.

"Like what you see?" He teased walking around the island and then opening up the fridge.

"Not in the slightest." She mocked with a playful roll of her eyes. "I was just trying to figure out what Marley sees in you."

"What's not to see?" He smirked, occupying a chair that was across from her and to the left.

"My point exactly." Kitty offered, pursing her lips. "You know Ryder's worried you're just trying to get her V-card. I can tell you right now she might be naïve but she's not stupid."

"Well are you worried?" He asked perking his brow, that playful smirk of his still plastered almost permanently on her face.

"I don't see why I should be." She shrugged her shoulders with ease. It was the truth. "You're something like a harmless fly." Her fingers picked up another juicy piece of melon and she sunk her teeth into it, sucking the water so it wouldn't drip onto her chin.

Honestly she never understood just why Ryder was worried in the first place. Jake was a great guy and a typical teenage boy. She knew about his past, just like the rest of the population of Ryder. His father was something of a no-show and his mother was a real estate agent that her father's side of the family owned. He was the resident bad boy of Lima and he treated girls pretty horribly. That was probably the only reason why Ryder was even worried in the first place. The brunette boy neglected to look past his defensive fronts even though he had seen the many layers of Jake Puckerman.

Kitty couldn't say that she knew Jake that well but she knew he was a complete and utter mother's boy. She knows that even though his mother didn't have a problem with paying the bills he still handled two jobs to help out and pay for his dance lessons. So that meant that he at least treated one woman in his life right. Besides a lot of his flings were with the Cheerios, who were sleeping with someone new every night.

Besides if it the way he ignored his blatant hormones around Marley, no matter how hard the struggle, Kitty knew that he wouldn't hurt her. And if he did he probably knew that there would be hell to pay.

She won't even mention the fact that he hadn't even kissed her yet.

"Harmless as a fly?" He echoed, his face revealing only a sort of content look.

"That Puckerman swag that everyone seems to think you have is not really intact when you're ogling my sister. Sure you have suave comments but she's got you wrapped around her little finger. Don't deny it either because I'm sure you've gotten real close to that hand of yours since my sister has values." Her head titled to the side as she smirked and Jake parted his lips to reply.

It was the sound of her phone ringing that halted him from saying anything.

She held up a finger as if to say _hold that thought_, before walking out of the room to answer her phone. The caller ID let her know that it was her father, confusion and anguish rushed through her veins.

"Hello?" She said into the receiver as she entered the room she was sharing with Marley, closing the door behind her.

"Ah, Kitty. I'm glad you answered I was trying to get ahold of you and your sister." He said completely sophisticated as he always was.

"Is there a point to this?" She asked raising her brow as if he was right in front of her. However if she was in front of him he probably wouldn't see it. In fact his eyes would be glued to the computer screen or his case files.

"I need you and your sister to come home right now."

Her mouth slacked open and her blood boiled. Who was he, someone who paid them little to no attention, to tell them to come home? It was unjust if you asked her. This was their summer before senior year they were supposed to be having fun.

"Excuse me?" She asked astounded.

"You heard me Kitty. I don't want to argue with you on this." He told her and ended his words with a sigh. She could clearly see him taking off his thin wired glasses, placing them on his desk, and pinching the bridge of his nose. It meant that he was frustrated and not to step on his toes.

But she was so done bowing down to his command.

"Argue? You barely pay us any attention. You shipped your own daughter off to a rehab center without so much as a word and since she's returned you've never even asked if she was doing alright. You are always locked up in your office and you're asking us to drop our summer plans to come home and what?! Be ignored some more?!" She huffed out a deep breath, her voice just barely rising.

"Need I remind you that you are not eighteen and I didn't consent for you to spend time at the Puckerman Family lakehouse with no supervision. And if you must know I got a great job offer and I plan on taking it. The catch is it's located in Atlanta. We're moving."

For a moment she just stood there in shock, trying to process the news. They were moving. They would not spend their senior year in Ohio; in fact they would be nowhere near Ohio. She clenched her free hand letting her palms dig into her nails.

"I'm glad you think of your daughters so much, _daddy_." She sneered. This time it was his turn to stay silent. The image of him pinching the bridge of his nose as he took deep breaths surfaced in her mind again.

"Then you get one more week and then I'm sending a car. Make sure your bags are packed."

The line clicked off before she could make another remark.

Not wanting to scream knowing that people would hear her she tossed her phone across the room and dug her teeth into her bottom lip. She shuffled through her duffle bag and grabbed her headphones shortly after slipping on a pair of shorts. After taking a moment to collect herself she walked out of the room and back from the kitchen.

"Who was that?" Jake asked, taking a sip of the water bottle he had gotten earlier.

"Just Sylvester telling me when I needed to report for practice when we get back to school." She lied before marching out the door. She was going on a run before she had to pull Marley aside and be the bearer of bad news.

* * *

When she rounded back up into the driveway on the lakehouse she was met by Ryder on the front steps. He was in one of his many tank tops and his swim trunks and it made her wonder just how long he had been sitting out here. At first he didn't see her instead his hands were clasped in front of his lips as he tapped his foot aggressively. There was this look of…worry on his face and his eyes were trained on the ground. She was a little out of breath for running from the middle of the afternoon until dark but she was that rattled from the phone call with her father. Not to mention she still had to break the news to Marley.

Pulling out on of her earbuds she looked down at Ryder her hands resting on her hips. "Waiting for someone?" It was a stupid question because she knew that he was waiting for her. Marley's words from the other morning echoed in her ears.

_I see the way he looks at you, y'know_.

It took him a couple more moments until he looked up at her instant relief flushing through his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight. He began to stand up and she took a step back to give him some space.

"Yeah—uh, I…you." He faltered. "I was waiting for you. I told Marley I would wait. She was pretty worried when Jake said that you went out for a run. I—I was pretty worried." He reached up and grabbed the back of his neck with his right hand. It was something he did when he was nervous. Over the past year she had picked up on the little things about him, that being one of them.

"As Jake said I was just on a run. I'm sure Marley wasn't that worried I've done it before to burn off some steam."

"Why?" Ryder inquired licking his lips. "Why did you need to burn off some steam?" His eyes were still shining with relief but she could still see the worry, the curiosity.

"No reason." She shrugged, unable to tell him the truth. Her heart was beating faster than it had been when she was running.

"Ah, you don't want to tell me that's cool." He dropped his hand from his neck and rubbed his eyes. This gesture meant that he was disappointed.

"It's just a stupid reason is all and none of your business." She remarked. "Now can you move your ass out of the way so I can go inside and take a shower? Take note that this is me asking nicely."

"Uh, yeah." He gulped and stepped out of the way. She took a step past him with another deep breath. She didn't even have time to wonder what Marley and Jake were doing behind the door. If she had time to take a guess it probably would've been that they were cleaning up from dinner or just watching television, all while innocently flirting with each other.

But she didn't have time to think about any of that because Ryder had pulled back on her arm and tugged her back towards him. Before she could say so much as a word his hand captured her face and his lips captured hers.

At first she was startled. She just stood there with her eyes open as his lips moved against hers. It wasn't until she could feel him pulling away did her eyes flutter shut and she began kiss him back. She had already positioned herself on her tiptoes since he was insanely too tall in comparison to her. He wasted no time in wrapping his free arm around her waist and she entangled her hands into his hair.

She had kissed him many times before, all in one night in fact, but somehow this kiss was different. There was a steady pulse of passion pulsing between them as they kissed. It made her toes curl and her blood run cold yet heat up all at the same time. It was like the world melted away and it was just Ryder's tongue knotting with hers and his hot hands running over her heated skin. Her fingers tugged on his hair and she pulled back on his bottom lip with her teeth.

It didn't take long for him to pull up on her waist and let her wrap her legs around his torso. Not to mention it was all done without either of them pulling back for a breath. He stumbled backwards up the steps and almost lost his balance not once, twice, but three times. Each and every time his lips had just barely detached from hers and she laughed lightly.

"Could you try to be a little graceful?" She remarked and he smiled.

"Maybe you should stop being so distracting." Then his lips were back on hers and he was twisting the doorknob. It crosses her mind that Jake and Marley could very well be out in the living room but she has this aching suspicion that their out on their own little date of sorts. Ryder's hands are resting underneath her ass and she knows that it's half to support her but also half so he can cop a feel. She isn't stupid, in fact she knows how most guys brains works; especially since she's gotten in this position with enough people to know that they don't really even have to hold her up. It's like giving someone a piggy back ride, as long as her legs are holding his torso she won't fall.

His hand sneaks up her back and towards the skinny strings of her bikini when they enter the hall. However her top doesn't come off just yet. Instead he just kisses her fiercely, his nose barely dragged across her cheek as he tilts his head all while he's entering his room.

Their lips disconnect when her back hits the bed and he's hovering over her. She bites her lip as she smiles and looks up at him. Her hair that had been in a messy bun had fallen out and was wildly shaping her face. Her green eyes were filled with lust all for him and his eyes mirrored hers. Actually his whole appearance did. His hair was all out of place, his lips were swollen, and his breaths were shallow.

Breathless. That's how they left each other.

Her hands move to the hem of his shirt and he lifts it over his head after she managed to pull it halfway up his chest. She leaned up and pressed shallow kisses to his throat as her fingers roamed over his abdomen. Her lips traced down to his collar bone and trailed down to where her fingers had been tracing. She could hear the moan fall from his lips and he winded up fumbling when he was untying her bathing suit top. He managed to capture her lips shortly after he threw her top somewhere into the depths of his room.

Soon enough is lips were trailing down her neck, his teeth nipping at the skin of her pulse point and her back was arching off the mattress and into his bare chest. A moan fell from her lips and he peppered kiss over her chest. His hands that had been firmly gripping her waist were tugging at the bottom of her shorts. Her hands had reached down and were also tugging on his swimming trunks.

It was only a few quick kisses later did their bodies mold together.

* * *

A few hours later their bare legs were tangled together and their breaths were quiet. She had found out a few moments prior that Jake had taken Marley to walk around the lake. Ryder had almost made it clear that they would probably be alone for the rest of the night. Right now they were quiet as Kitty drew lazy patters on his skin. It was still hot from the events that happened earlier. She was completely calm laying in his arms, all the anger she had felt from earlier completely out of her system.

Her eyes were half open and half closed, exhaustion taking over her veins. Her hair was still damp from when she showered, as to whether Ryder joined her was up to everyone else's imagination.

"Kitty…." Ryder whispered into the dark and all she could do was hum in response. She could barely see the way his damp hair was hanging in his eyes. Her heart fluttered knowing that there was a content look of endearment swimming around in his gaze when he looked at her. "I…" He started and took a deep breath. She could imagine the way his eyes are closing as she tried to find the courage to say whatever it was he wanted too.

A few moments past and the patterns she's drawing are slowing down and her eyes are completely shut.

"I love you." She hears him whisper and her heart quickens in her chest. She doesn't say anything. Instead she feels his lips press a soft kiss to hers. Even after that she still stays silent. Unsure of how she's supposed to respond.

In all truths she wanted to say it back.

But then she remembers that she's moving. Whatever they had was only a summer fling. It wouldn't even be a romance because she was leaving in a matter of days.

So instead she pretends she's fallen asleep and her heart buries itself deep inside herself.

* * *

She was wide awake all night and when Ryder had fell into a slumber shortly after he had pressed a kiss to her temple, she sneaked back into her room. She quickly pulled on a pair of pajamas and buried herself underneath the covers. It took hardly ten seconds for the tears to start falling.

There was only one other time she had done this.

And that had been when her mother had died.

She was lying on the side clutching her pillow that was honestly too goddamn fluffy, and her legs were curled into her chest. She felt like she was suffocating and her breaths were undeniably short and shallow.

Who would have thought that a boy telling her I love you would have stirred such emotions within her. She was supposed to be the girl who was indifferent to those types of feelings.

Actually she was supposed to be indifferent to all feelings in general.

Everything from the when he first kissed her on the front steps and when his hands roamed over her body among the soapsuds flashed through her mind. It made her heart beat so fast that she couldn't even register the fact that it was broken. Come time next week she would probably be sitting in first class on a plane, flying away from Ryder.

She'd had to treat him like some insignificant memory that she would never remember.

Although she didn't think that she could ever forget.

It was around two am when Marley finally came into their room. A content sigh fell off her lips but Kitty didn't move in her bed. She stayed completely still when Marley sat on the edge of the mattress and tried to wiggle her awake.

"Kitty, Kitty wake up." She could practically hear the elated smile on Marley's face just by her tone of voice. It seemed that Jake had really given her the night of her life. "Jake took me on a walk around a lake and it was so magical…" She trailed off and the blonde girl knew that she had been rendered speechless. She had really fallen hard for Jake and it brought a sad smile to the blonde girl's lips.

"I'm happy for you." She whispered her voice cracking. She could tell just by the way the bed shifted that Marley had completely went from elation to concern.

"Kitty…" She started, that sincere worry lining her words. "Are you alright?"

Sitting up in the bed she wiped her eyes and looked up at Marley. Leaning over she clicked on a lamp so they wouldn't be sitting in the dark. She looked back up at her sister with heavy eyelids, and tearstained cheeks.

"I broke your promise." She whispered into the silence and Marley perked her brow. Sniffling she took a deep breath and looked away almost ashamed.

"What promise?"

"I have to break his heart." She barely choked out the words before the tears started to fall. Without saying anything else Marley reached out and took her sister into his arms even if she was still confused.

As Kitty let a few more tears fall she realized that she had formed one more regret.

It was that she didn't tell Ryder that she loved him back.

* * *

**A/N**: Three quarters of the way done! Woot, woot. We're almost to the grand finale! This got a little long, at least longer than the other chapters. Anyways shoot me a message or something and tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate if I hear what you all think!


	4. Chapter 4

THAT'S WHY FIREFLIES FLASH  
KYDER PUCKEROSE

* * *

The barstool he's been sitting on feels a little too familiar. He still doesn't know why sometimes the only thing he can hear is the fast beat of his heart, thumping in his ears. Or why sometimes he's acutely aware of the beads of sweat tracing his hairline. This place was basically his home. He's slept in the break room more times than he slept in his own bed at his apartment just two blocks away.

He doesn't even know how many times that he's sat down in this bar, on this stool, under this spotlight, fingers centered on this piano's beaten down keys, singing whatever song he wanted.

It's probably the millionth time. Maybe more than that.

He moved to Providence with Ryder right after senior year ended. Their senior year wasn't memorable contrary to most people who graduated in their class. If he was actually being honest it was a piece of shit. Ryder and him had walked around only half-themselves because the summer had gutted them pretty badly.

He remembers all the exhilaration he had felt the summer before. He remembers how he thought that it was going to be _the _year because one he was finally getting out and he had finally had a chance to get to know _the girl _who had kept a special reservation on his heart since he was a little kid. And _god _that summer had been one for the fucking books and Jake knew it. But just like every other good thing that he had in his life, it ended up in shambles.

Torn away from him before it could even begin.

Long story short, the moment after they had tossed their graduation caps in the air without the two people that should have been there, they had basically gotten in their car and headed for Rhode Island. They left Ohio with the saved up money Jake got from winning bets on the outcome of sport games, his job at the local department show, and then Ryder's college tuition money for a college he never applied to.

Their parents were furious but they wanted someplace new, someplace small, someplace where they could just _start over_.

Who wanted to live in a town when there were two ghosts haunting them?

They've worked at this bar for three years. He's twenty-one on the dot now and Ryder's only a few days older than him. At first they were just bus boys but about a year ago they were upgraded to bartenders, since they had gotten a license to serve alcohol. From the beginning though he's gotten up there to sing. Sometimes he even dances because that's his real passion and there isn't a day where he can live without it. The owner of the bar, Daniel Johnson, took them in almost as if they were his sons two years after they made the move. He's the reason that they've got an apartment even if they've barely touched it.

Ryder and him happen to be the only employees but that's all the place needs. The old bartender quit a couple months ago but they know how to manage a full house when it's just the two of them. The bar has never been some popular place that everyone in the city came too. It was a little low key but that was okay. They both were pretty content with what life was going for him.

It's just right now as his breaths are just barely caught in the speaker of the microphone does he genuinely actually feel nervous. It's ridiculous too because these people have seen him perform just about anything from Aerosmith to Frank Ocean to OneRebpulic.

Right now his eyes are closed and his fingers are barely pressing into the keys.

He feels agitated. He feels like he's hanging by a fingernail one the edge of the Empire State building.

Out of all the songs he has ever sang in this bar the one that he's about to sing is probably the hardest. This song encompasses every reason as to why he couldn't live in Ohio. Why both Ryder and him had to get out.

Just like Ohio, this song suffocates them. Ryder knows that he's singing it and maybe that's why he looks up at him. To get that reassurance from someone who's basically his brother. To get a reminder that he wasn't alone when they both got lied to and their hearts stomped on. Let's not forget the fact that even though he's had flings and Ryder has maintained a couple relationships, they're still in love with their ghosts of girlfriend's past. With a final lick of his lips he finally pressed down on the keys playing the familiar melody of the song.

"_When the street lights come on and the fireflies flicker, I am walking her home, making plans…_"

* * *

He remembers the first day he looked into those frosty sapphire eyes. It had been orientation for their first grade year they had been six years old. He's not really sure of all the specifics like what the classroom looked like, who the teacher was, what he or Marley was wearing, but he remembers where the desk was. It was the desk in the far back right corner.

To this day he always wondered why she decided to choose a desk in the very back. She always managed to be one of the smartest people in their class, so why she wasn't in the front row baffled him. The back row was for people that just wanted to take a nap during math.

In other words him.

But the point was that he had run across the room for that seat only for her to slam her name tag on it at the very same time. Kitty had been standing at the desk just in front of her and since they were practically conjoined twins back then, of course Marley had to have it.

Everyone had always talked about how girls had cooties but when he looked into those eyes for the very first time, it was probably the first time whether or not he questioned whether or not they actually did.

They were as deep as the ocean yet it was almost like it was a cloudy day in the beach, a sort of confusion in her eyes that swirled around. It was a pair of eyes that he had seen before, a pair of eyes that smiled in a picture frame next to his mother in their living room.

He had gone home and asked him mom about who the woman was and that was when he first found out about Millie Rose. His mother's former best friend who had been the reason he had grown up with gourmet chocolate cookies.

In the end he had been a staring a little too long trying to figure out just who she was and she had gotten the seat. He had gotten in the next row that was positioned just a little bit behind hers.

That whole year he had paid more attention to her than he ever did towards the teacher.

* * *

It didn't take a lot for him to turn into the boy who had a chip on his shoulder if he's being honest. His dad had shown up when he was in fifth grade asking—no demanding for money because he was poor as shit. Sometimes he can still hear the sound of the man's hand going against his mother's cheek when she had refused. His mother had a steady job and it paid pretty well but it was just barely enough for them to get by. His father didn't need any of that.

He also remembers very clearly his father turning to him and calling him a useless piece of shit. He didn't cry about it but that certainly didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

Those words were the sole reason as to why he went around pretending that he didn't care but trying his hardest to be some fucked up version of man.

Maybe his father would love him one day.

He got into a lot of fights all throughout middle school and that essentially was how he had met Ryder. He had been sitting in the boy's locker room one day after being kicked out of basketball tryouts because he decked one of his "teammates", with a growing black eye. Ryder had offered him an ice pack and well even then they didn't get off to an easy start.

His nature had been to push people away not let them in. But Ryder always seemed to seek him out and talk about sports and just things going on at their school; whatever the other kids were talking about.

Jake was still the school's resident loner but Ryder was probably his wingman.

No matter how close they were however, Jake had never really told the boy about his father. It was something he never talked about but it was also the obvious reason because news traveled fast in a small town.

So one day out of the blue, Ryder ad told him that you didn't choose your parents but you got to choose your family.

Ever since then they've been brothers from different mothers.

* * *

Given the fact that he had blown off school many, many times he never really had many classes with Marley after first grade. Plus it seemed that one of the sisters got to be the Queen Bee.

Kitty grew up to be the golden girl of their school and his occasional fling and Marley was a bit of a wallflower.

But just because she stayed invisible to everyone else didn't mean that she was invisible to him. He always seemed to be drawn to her, like a moth towards the flame. Back then and now for that matter he really wants to blame it on the fact that her mother really had the greatest way to make chocolate chip cookies.

But as he grew older he always just seemed to find her more beautiful than the other girls.

Sure he had flings but they didn't make him feel anything but a high of ecstasy that he always came down from.

Marley was real, she was beautiful, she was an angel and he was the devil.

She was the girl that Millie had been so elated to have, according to his mother, and she had never even got to see her grown up. Sometimes he felt as if he knew Marley's mother more than she did and honestly it made him feel guilty.

Because of all people she should have been the one to know that her mother had fought her hardest just to be able to choke out her name. She deserved to know that her mother had fought her hardest to keep herself alive to hold her a couple times after she was cleaned off and she was out of the operation room.

So maybe that's why he had a really, really, really bad and semi-creepy habit of watching her from a distance.

Most of the time he just looked past his locker door and he'd see her shuffling to get her books. He always found himself chuckling when she had to get on her tiptoes to reach for something at the top of her locker. He also always had this inkling to go up and help her and then somehow find the courage to tell her everything about Millie.

Most of the time though he chickened out and then he would fake read a book at the table behind the computers in the library. It kept him hidden but gave him the perfect view to watch her sit against the shelves in the middle of the aisle and speed through a book.

He had always been groping for that spark of courage but he also felt like he would say it all wrong. Sure he was suave and known for his charisma but how the hell was he supposed to be smooth in bringing up her deceased mother?

He didn't like talking about his dad who was alive.

There was just no way in fucking hell she'd be comfortable talking about her mother, with a stranger no less.

So most of the time he just beat himself up back and forth while sneaking glances at her.

* * *

He had been watching Marley when Ryder had met her that day in the library. He was sitting at the same table and she was up on the very tip of her toes trying to reach for a book at the top shelf. He can't say that he didn't chuckle because he did, but he stopped when he realized how much she looked like a ballerina. He knew that she liked music however he was never quite sure if she liked to dance.

She had been trying so hard to get it by herself that she the signature gray hat she had on fell off and her purple shirt had rode up. He had been mesmerized and Ryder had walked right in on the moment. After sparing Jake a simple what's up he had gone up to help her reach the book.

In the beginning he had felt his blood boil. So much to the point where that same night he had sought out Kitty Wilde just to feel a body underneath his.

After that moment Ryder and Marley had become incredibly close friends and considering they were _always_ hanging out most of the time, everyone, including Jake, thought they were dating.

Even though Ryder had never lied to him he couldn't help but feel as if every time the boy denied having romantic feelings for Marley wasn't the truth.

It was Marley. How could anyone not have romantic feelings for her?

* * *

Once Ryder and Marley had proclaimed that they were each other's best friends Jake made it a point to just avoid her all together. The sneaking glances that she never caught wouldn't happen anymore. He just focused on the girls whose hearts he was destined to break.

And although those times were good, _really good_, he can't say that he doesn't regret them.

Because maybe if he had paid her just a glance he would have saw that she was getting herself into trouble. He could have picked a fight with the guys who bullied her, who made her hate herself.

He would have just _tried _to be her knight in shining armor.

But he wasn't and so he made the decision that over the summer he would tell her about her mother. Because he couldn't help but wonder if she knew just how much her mother loved her, she wouldn't have gone to such drastic measures to be confident.

But he found out through Kitty who had come to him in the middle of the night drunk and upset that her sister wouldn't be home for the whole summer.

So for that whole summer he tried to plan out what to say to her. He knew that it wouldn't be hard because well he was _Jake Puckerman_, but a cliché line wasn't exactly the best way to start serving what he really had to tell her.

He wondered many, many times when he became Ryder of all people.

* * *

He usually didn't go to the school parties, well not often anyways. The only reason he ever went to them was too hook up with someone and drink away his sorrows.

Honestly to find someone to hook up with was the very reason he had been at that party in the first place. He didn't even know Marley was coming until he saw her sitting on the stairs with a cup in her hand.

At first he just thought he was really drunk because never once in his whole high school career did he ever see Marley Rose at a high school party.

He had been dancing in the middle of the crowd and there was some alcoholic liquid splashing on him since people had their cups in the air. He had stopped in the middle of a spin because he had caught sight of that little hat she always wore.

Honestly he would have gone up to her and told her all the things he had wanted to all summer long but she had been in a rehabilitation facility. But her eyes were on him and there was just something about the look in her eyes that made him keep dancing.

His heart had jumped in his chest and his body just moved to the beat of the music. His eyes were closed and his breaths were steady but shallow. He felt completely free like he always did when he danced. But this time it felt a little different…because he wasn't dancing for himself but rather for her.

When he finished and opened his eyes she was already gone.

* * *

Jake's fingers are gliding across the keys with such ease and his eyes are closed gently. At the moment he doesn't exactly have the courage to open his eyes. He doesn't have the courage to look at the crowd; he didn't even have the courage to look at Ryder. It's not because he's scared—even though there's a part of him that actually is—the reason he can't look up is because he knows that she's already been gone.

She's been gone for just a little under five years.

And he doesn't really want to look out into a crowd of familiar faces when the one he wants to be there won't be.

So he just decides to keep his eyes closed. It's the only way he can see her face, her smile, the dimple in forehead, and those blue, blue eyes.

He doesn't have to open his eyes to know that Ryder's thinking of sparkling green ones and full red lips upturned in a smirk.

His fingers moved seamlessly as he takes a deep breath and just keeps singing like he's supposed to do.

"_With her shoes in her hand I am watching her dance, as the hem of her dress gently kisses the ground… It suddenly rains on us. She is laughing and turns up her hands…_"

A million memories are flashing through his mind and they're all from that summer. From the first time that he ever saw in that black cover up, to the day he picked her up and threw her in the water, to the bonfire, and well just everything up to the last night he saw her face illuminated in the shadows.

The memory his brain picks for him to relive as he enters the chorus of the song, is a couple days before Ryder and him had set up that bonfire.

The sun had been beating down on them, sizzling against their skin, and the only thing to stop the burning was the cool water of the lake. They had been swimming but Jake felt as if it was time to change things up a bit.

Just up the road he had neighbors that owned two jet skis.

So with his dazzling smile and persuasive charm he was able to use them as long as they all came back in one piece. He purposefully paired Kitty and Ryder together since it was written all over their faces that they had slept together and well there was the fact that he'd get to ride with Marley.

Because even though they would be wearing lifejackets their bodies would be pressed tightly together.

He found it almost funny that even Kitty had been just as hesitant as Marley when it came to getting on the back of the jet ski. However after a few spiteful remarks Kitty had her fingers hooked in the straps of his lifejacket and her knees pressing against Ryder's thighs.

The brunette girl was still sliding on her lifejacket, an apprehensive look written all over her face.

"It's not that bad, I promise." He told her and she just gave him a curt nod of her head. His brows furrowed and he wondered why she seemed so terrified. "Is everything alright?"

Her eyes that had been trained on the ground looked up into his brown ones and he felt his breath caught in her throat. There was that frost look with a wave of self-consciousness swimming through them. "It's just…One of the reasons I don't really, well, take this off is because there's, this uh…this…" She choked on her words and looked and pointed down towards her knee.

He nodded with his eyebrows to show his realization, "The scar on your knee." Although Marley had been very good at covering it up, he had seen it one day when she came into the local grocery store, where Jake worked, in a skirt whose length was deathly.

She seemed taken aback by his statement and she stared at him, her eyes swill swimming with that doubt but also curiosity and shock. "How…" She trailed off perking her brow.

He placed a hand on the back of his neck and bit the inside of his cheek. "Come on, we can't let your sister and Ryder have all the fun." Quickly, he turned around to the jet ski and jumped down the dock and then positioned himself on the seat.

He knew that her lips parted but she didn't make a sound instead she just followed suit and tucked her fingers into the straps of his lifejacket. Her knee was against his thigh and the cover up didn't hide the skin.

Turning his head back to look at her, their faces just millimeters apart, he barely raised his brow as his fingers reached down towards her knee. She wasn't looking at him but rather his thumb that was tracing her scar agonizingly slow. His fingers hummed against her skin that was hot to the touch and undeniably smooth. The scar isn't exactly really long but it's not exactly something miniscule either.

He wonders how she got it but he doesn't think it's the right thing to ask. At least not now, in this moment their having.

Her eyes fluttered shut and he saw her take a very slow deep breath.

"Hey," He breathed. "Look at me." Slowly she opened her eyes and he couldn't help but notice that it in the sun they looked like the ocean at sunrise. His breath caught once again and his eyes flicked down to her lips. He was getting caught up in the moment and in the end he knew that she would have worked him up, big time.

If this was any other girl they would already be kissing, making out actually, but this was Marley. And, well, he knew that she wasn't most girls. She wasn't easy but she wasn't playing hard to get either. She was just had more values the other girls who fell prey to his every charm.

If he's being honest, given his reputation, he wonders why so many girls are surprised that he never takes them seriously.

But he takes Marley seriously. He's always felt tethered to her; something about her always draws him in.

"Wh—what?" She fumbled and he took a deep breath looking back up at her.

"You shouldn't hide it." He told her, "It only makes you more beautiful than you already are." The compliment fell off his lips for a second time, although unlike the first this one seemed more intimate; more private, where the other had been more like a declaration. His finger was still tracing over her scar as he leaned forward his nose just barely bumping hers.

Before either of them could move another inch, the cold water from the lake splashed up on them making their faces separate. Kitty and Ryder had stopped just ahead of them.

"Come on Puckerman, show us what you got." Ryder challenged a protective gleam in his eyes.

"Hold on tight, Rose." He mumbled under his breath as his fingers tore away from her skin and he started up the engine.

* * *

After that jet ski accident he really didn't get a lot of time alone with Marley. At least not until the bon fire when Ryder finally decided to stop throwing him warning glances. Though now his glances always seemed to say _tell her about her mother and stop trying to get into her pants_.

He had just finished talking with Kitty who had decided to go on some sort of run after Sylvester called her, when he had decided to go outside.

And _boy_, he was not expecting what he saw. In fact he did have to do a double take.

At the edge of the water was Ryder and Marley engrossed in some conversation as they shuffled in the shallow end of the water. Truthfully it looked normal…

Minus the fact that Marley wasn't wearing her cover up anymore.

Jake could feel his adam apple bob as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Sure he may have seen every inch of skin on other girls _so _many times he couldn't even give you an accurate number. His tongue broke his lips apart as he licked them, taking in the view.

He was mesmerized as always and maybe a little turned on. Actually there was really no little about it.

His eyes were started from the bottom and he worked his way up. Every inch of skin that he could see was glowing, glistening with drops of water. Her legs seemed endlessly long and smooth and he wished his fingers were the water droplets sliding down her skin. Her stomach was smooth and flat and he wanted to press it against his. His eyes roamed over her breasts, trying not to get all hot and bothered although it was _incredibly _difficult. Then his eyes finally reached her face which he swore was one of an angel. Her smile was wide and that melodic laugh she had was carried off with the wind into his ears. Her head was thrown back and her eyes were closed.

And in that moment he swore that he had never seen anything more beautiful than her.

He gulped when she opened her eyes and seemed to stare straight at him.

"Looks like someone is breaking out of their shell." He commented, taking few strides towards the pair.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ryder giving him a smug smile as he took a step back. Jake imperceptibly shook his head and let a small chuckle linger on his lips, underneath his breath.

"Oh yeah…" Marley reached up and tucked her sun-dried hair behind her ear. "I…." Jake looked at her, with his right row just barely raised. Even though the sun almost glared on her face the blush was still visible on her cheeks.

The wind howled and the hair she had tucked neatly behind her ear was put out of place again. Reaching out and taking a step forward Jake wore a light flirtatious smirk on his face, "I like it."

She looked up at him once more as she inhaled a deep breath before looking back down and away from him. Her cheeks were a violent shade of red and it only made the playful smirk on his lips grow wider. Without another word he scooped her up in his arms much like he did the first day that they were here.

"No!" She screamed and giggled all at the same time. Her legs kicked out and the bare skin of the side of her stomach was hot against the middle of his chest. "Put me down! Put me down!" Marley knew just as well as Jake did though that he wasn't going to be putting her down. Instead he just got out to a deep enough spot before throwing her into the water and watching as the water swallowed her.

He was chuckling incredibly hard for a good few seconds until he realized that she wasn't breaking the surface. "Marley?" He called out leaning towards the water. "Mar—" Before he could finish the last syllable of her name he felt his feet being pulled out from underneath him.

He used the split second he had before he went under the water. It didn't take much effort to reach out and find Marley while they both were submerged and pull her up towards his face and then press their bodies together as they broke the surface.

The water came up halfway on her stomach and it was just a few inches lower on him. His hands were wrapped around her waist holding her against him and she was reaching up to move the hair that was stuck to her face due to the water. His heart was beating insanely fast and all the usual flirtatious remarks that he had, disappeared in his throat.

Those blue eyes of hers always had a nasty habit of leaving him speechless.

Somehow her hands had locked themselves around his neck and their foreheads were pressed together. The sun was setting behind them and it probably was time for them to go in for dinner but they weren't going anywhere. His eyes were connected to hers and he was completely under her spell, rendered defenseless. He watched as the water droplets on her face traced down her cheeks and then stopped at the corner of her lips where she would swipe her tongue to get rid of them. Angling his head and moving his mouth a little closer to her temple, he dragged his lips down the side of her face following the path that the water had set for him. His fingers pressed into her skin a little harder, making her take a step closer so there was absolutely no space between them. Their skin was heating up and even though it was partially the sun's part, the contact had them both set on fire. His lips met the corner of hers and he let his eyes open so their lashes were just barely brushing.

"Marley…" He whispered his voice so quiet the wind could have carried it away.

"Jake…" She muttered back her eyes closing, her fingers scraping at the bottom of his hair.

His face turned and as he leaned in to close the space between them—

Ryder had stepped out onto the porch, waving his arms wildly in the air. "Jake I need help starting up the grill. Also does anyone know where Kitty went?"

* * *

Back in the bar he took a deep breath, still not daring to open his eyes. His heart had slowed down into a steady beat within in his chest and his foot was tapping slowly to the beat. Part of it was to keep the beat that already had embedded into his body and then it was also for the fact that he itched to dance. He itched to let his body move to the music.

He missed dancing, because even though he did it every day, he didn't take lessons anymore.

He hadn't really, truly, and honestly danced in a very, very long time.

Sucking in a deep breath he brings his voice back in to the song using the lyrics to the second verse. His eyes still won't open. If he's being honest his eyelids feel heavy and it's not because he's tired, but it's because he can feel the tears he's never let fell collecting. He doesn't really want anyone else to know how personal this song was to him. Or even to Ryder for that matter. He knows that his best friend was probably leaning against the back counter under the light that doesn't work. He's probably got this blank face on but his eyes are swimming with memories of the girl who busted his heart.

They were both lied to. They were both abandoned in the middle of the night.

And they both just felt like some sort of pawn in some twisted game, even though it wasn't _their _game. It had been _their_ father's.

"_When this summer time ends we will not part as friends. Things were promised in blood, we have sinned. Now there's tears in her eyes as she's screaming goodbyes. I run 'long side the car, turning numb to the sound._"

He tilts his head back and forth, his lips in a solemn line as he sings. He can't smile but he can't frown either. It shows too much emotion and he feels like his voice is bleeding enough. He can't but ask himself why the fuck he chose to sing it. Why did he want to sing about something that hurt so fucking much?

It was beyond him, really.

"_I notice a chill in the air. September is creeping up fast…_"

As he reached the chorus once again he found himself plunged into the same memory that he had been brought out of when he had gotten into the second verse.

They had ate dinner on the front porch of the lakehouse because ever since Jake had told him that Kitty had been out on a run for hours, he had flipped out and made it very clear that he wouldn't move until she returned.

Man, he was whipped.

To keep things interesting Jake had showed them the initials of his grandparents in the stair railing that they had scratched on it when they were teenagers. He told them the story of how this lakehouse had gotten into his family. It held a sentimental value considering this had been the place where his mother's parents had met. Originally it was a cabin from a summer camp but it closed down about a few years later. His mother had been born in California but her parents had decided they wanted to raise her in the same small town that they had been brought up in. When they relocated back to Ohio they bought the lakehouse and rehabilitated it into a house.

This had been the place her mother grew up in and since she moved more into town before he was born, Jake had spent most of their summers here. His mother couldn't come with him this year though, during her job so that was why he invited Ryder, Kitty, and then Marley.

He may or may not have left out the part where he had it planned since the party because he really wanted to get to know her.

"Hey can I show you something?" He asked, as they loaded the last plate into the dishwasher. He noticed the way her cheeks flushed and she nodded, while slowly tucking her hair behind her ear. He didn't really have to ask to know that was a yes. "Okay, well grab your flip flops, Rose. We're going for a walk."

* * *

He'll probably never forget the way the moon had hung in the air that night. Half of it had been illuminated in a golden yellow, while half of it had been hidden by the shadows of the night. He liked the way its reflection looked on the water. It was almost like a pastel painting that should be hanging on a wall.

Before dinner Marley had cleaned up into a short white dress that had golden flowers running down the side. It hugged her in all the right places and she looked like she was going to a party; whereas he had still been wearing his bathing suit trunks after throwing on a wife beater.

From an outsider's point of view he really wasn't taking her anyplace special, they were just going on a walk around the lake.

But he was taking her to someplace of importance, even if she didn't know it.

"Do you think that Ryder's ever gonna leave that front porch?" She asked with a small laugh following her words.

"Who knows." Jake shrugged with a lick of his lips. "Kitty has him pretty whipped if you ask me."

"It's just because he cares for her, you know." She said in a matter of act tone. "And I think that Kitty cares for him too. She just hasn't…I don't know. I guess she just doesn't want to admit that she likes that there's a really great guy who cares about her, standing right in front of her. She's been with a lot of bad people and I just think she should know that even if it's not Ryder, that there's a really good guy for her out there." She sent him a glance before giggling under her breath.

"What?"

"Well one, I just realized that you have been one of the bad guys." She started, hiding her face with her hands. "And two, you probably didn't take me out here to talk about my sister and Ryder. And here I am going on and on about them."

"Do you still think that?" He asked, reaching his fingers out to touch her arm to stop her.

"Think what?"

"That I'm one of the bad guys?" He perked his brow, taking a small step towards her.

It took her a moment to answer but she shook her head, "In her life you're one of the bad guys. But in mine…" She trailed off and he hooked his fingers underneath her chin.

"But in yours…"

She was getting up in on her tiptoes and leaning her head towards his when someone yelled in the distance and she jumped back. Jake closed his eyes and clenched his jaw because did that _seriously _have to happen again? Simultaneously they both took a deep breath and turned back to walking around the lake.

He stared straight ahead knowing that they were only a few more feet from where he was taking her.

"So you've been coming here since you were a kid?" She asked breaking the silence, her arms crossed around her chest. There was a small smile on her face as she looked around at the scenery, whereas he was just looking at her. He had seen everything else a thousand times before and plus she was the whole view.

"Yeah." He mused aloud. "I don't think there has been one summer where I haven't been here actually."

"That's really cool. I wish I would have had something like that growing up." He's still watching her but he noticed that she's staring straight ahead and he knows what she's thinking about.

She's thinking about her mom.

And he knows that because his mom gets the same look when she's thinking about Jake's father.

He doesn't really reply after that, instead he stops her and faces her again like they had before. "Okay, we're here." He licked his lips as she looks around and furrows her brow. He can only chuckle when she looks back at him and then keeps looking around her as if they've missed something.

"We're just standing in the middle of the sidewalk." She states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. For a short moment he reaches up and tucks her hair behind her ear. He doesn't do it because it's out of place or anything but because he knows that she'll look down and get that warm rush of red in her cheeks.

He slowly draws his hand back and he watches her close her eyes and get that shy smile of hers on her lips. He taps his leg once just before she opens her eyes and rubs her lips together like she always does before looking up. This time she doesn't look back up at him, she's staring at the ground where there are three pairs of hands pressed into the cement. Two of the hand-prints were adult-sized and then in the middle of them both there was a small pair, those of a newborn.

There were also two names.

The first one read Tanisha, which was his mom.

And then the next one was…Millie, Marley's mother.

It takes her a moment before she looks up at him her lips parted and tears threatening in her eyes. He gives her a nod because she knows what she's gonna ask and then they're both squatting down near the ground. Her fingers are so, so hesitant as she reached forward and traced the letters.

The silence almost seems deafening and he's shocked that she hasn't let one tear fall. Her fingers are precise and slow as she traces out the letters; the huge 'M' that curls into the 'I' and then the looping 'L's, then the last 'I' and then 'E'. He leans back and presses his hands into the grass and lets her marvel at a piece of her mother she never knew existed.

The first tear falls when she's positioned her hand right over the one of her mother's.

"Have you known about this your whole life?"

He grabbed the back of his neck and gave her a solemn nod and then let a heavy sigh fall from her lips.

She's silent and she lets her hand slid slowly away from her mother's and then her pink finger is brushing over the small pair of hands that were between them. "I assume these are your hands?"

"Nah," He says as she looks up at him, her brow rising to ask who it was. "They're yours."

Marley just looks at him dumbfounded. Then she finally reaches up to wipe her cheeks, as if she's just realizing that she was crying. Her fingers move furiously on the apple of her cheeks before she moves on to rubbing her eyes.

"I don't understand. My father always told me my mother died in childbirth." There was a sort of heartbroken look on her face that was combined with confusion. He wanted to reach out and wipe his thumb across her cheek to stop the tears but he fought it away. Now was probably not the time to make a move.

"I've always known who you were." He told her and her eyes widened and he shook his head. "Sorry that, uh, that came out way wrong."

"Please tell me." It's only a whisper and he almost doesn't think that she asked.

"Before my mom got her job at the hospital she used to volunteer there. While she was there she met a pregnant woman, her name was Millie. Millie Rose. She never got the chance to marry your father before you were born…" With a lick of his lips he pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away from her. "When you stole that seat from me in first grade I recognized your eyes. There's a picture back home, of my mom and your mom. They were sort of best friends. My mom even has, uh, recipes of these to die for chocolate chip cookies. Anyways, the point is my mom was with your mother when she gave birth to you. Millie's mom, your grandmother, passed on and she was an only child so she didn't have anyone to be in there with her. So she chose my mom." He sneaked a look at her to find that she was starting at him intently, her hand pressed into the ground over her mothers. They were just about the same size, a reflection.

Leaning forward he placed his hands on knees and did his best to look at her in the eye to tell her the rest. "You're dad must've told you that she died in childbirth because it was probably better to say that anyways. My mom always said that your mom was a fighter and that she was really excited to be a mother. She used to watch me sometimes while my mom ran out to go get groceries. I don't remember it but that's what my mom said. They had barely started making this when you were born. This is the part where the workers started. I think she knew…that she wasn't gonna, uh, y'know. It was the day before you were going to be released so Millie asked my mom to take her here. They knew of the construction and my mom wanted you to have a lifelong piece of her but of something you did together. So they got here when the construction workers were on lunch break. They used my mom's bobby pin to write their names after they did the hand-prints. My mom said you were pretty calm when they pressed your hands in. Your mother she uh, died the same night a few hours after you all returned. Ever since first grade I've known who you were. I mean at first I thought you were the girl in the pictures until my mom explained it to me, but yeah…"

He took a deep breath when he finished as he remembered that day in first grade. Her eyes looked the same now but there was an electric blue current coursing through them. There's still tears freely falling down her face but just like in first grade, she's got to be the prettiest thing in the room.

Maybe the world for that matter.

She turned her head down and started to cry even harder, her body visibly shaking with the sobs. Leaning forward, Jake reached out for her—which was also a silent way of asking if she was alright—but she held up her hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry…" She choked out, reaching up to wipe her face. "I didn't mean to cry—it's just that I didn't know. I don't know why my father never told me that, I don't know why he never took us here. I just…my whole life I have never known. When it came to her I was always kept in the dark. I mean I had the few stories that Kitty offered since she had the pictures and everything." She hugged herself with her free hand and she laid her head on her knee.

"Don't apologize. And I don't know you're dad but maybe it just hurt for him. Like all the memories. I think that's why he doesn't really like my mom and all. Since I know they've had a few awkward run-ins around town." Blowing out a deep breath he kept his distance from her.

"And then here you are, someone I barely know and you've given me…these answers that I have been searching for my whole entire life and if I had just talked to you before, instead of letting my stupid crush—"

"Crush, huh?" Jake perked his head up a smirk toying on his lips.

"I mean—That's not what I—" She fumbled on her words but he was already moving towards her. It took him all but three seconds for his fingers to entangle themselves into her wavy hair, for his thumb to wipe the tears off of her cheek, and then lastly for his lips to crash to hers.

Her hand had reached towards him and somehow gotten ahold of the neckline of his shirt; although he was pretty sure she had meant to cup his cheek but decided against it at the last minute. His lips slanted over hers and his nose dragged itself down the side of hers. For short moment he let his lips slip off of hers just to whisper a confession.

"Don't worry, I have a crush on you too."

It was then did she reach up to cup his cheeks and placed her lips back on his. His heart was beating so entirely fast yet at the same time it wasn't beating at all. He honestly didn't really think that this would have happened, since the last three times that had been much more romantic and less…whatever this was, had all been interrupted. But even if it was utterly unconventional and she was crying, it didn't change that he felt so, so alive.

When they pull apart, her hair is a little out of place and her cheeks are a flaming red. But there's smile on her face that is so contagious he finds himself mirroring it.

"Thank you." She tells him, before leaning in for another kiss.

* * *

He's at the bridge now and it's probably the hardest part for him to sing out of the whole song. Whenever he sings or even just listens to it, he can't think of anything else but the night that they left.

He doesn't dare to open his eyes instead he just tilts his head up towards the ceiling. The heat of the lights are hot on his skin and it feels the sun had been that summer. And he can focus on it and remind himself that he's sweating because of it over and over again but it won't make the memory not come.

It won't not break his heart like it always did when he thought of that night.

How do you escape the inescapable?

Because unless you get some sort of memory loss, you can't escape it. You can't escape the ghosts and demons that haunt you. It's impossible. They're always there in the back of your mind when you're not thinking about him.

"_Innocence didn't mean we're immune to these things. Let's blame the passage of time. Love and loss, truth, it costs more than I can spare right now… Maybe it's simpler to lie._"

As soon as the last line barely makes it off his lips he remembers waking up around five o'clock in the morning, just three nights after he had first kissed Marley. He's used to hearing some weird shit in the middle of the night but it was always things in the distance; never a pot falling off the counter just outside of his room and down the hall. Plus it wasn't like he was sleeping anyways. He had been drifting in and out of sleep due to his thoughts.

He was thinking about Marley and why she had been acting so…distant after they had shared that kiss. It was like somewhere between the time of when they had gotten back to the lakehouse and then all had breakfast in the morning something changed. Kitty and Ryder barely even looked at each other too.

As a matter of fact Marley and Kitty were awfully quiet, whispering among themselves.

It was like Ryder and Jake weren't even in the room.

In an almost zombie like manner he slid off his bed and carefully walked across his room and out the door. "Who's up?" He called out, scratching the back of his head as a rather yawn slipped off his lips. He rounded the corner just in time to see Marley and Kitty put the pot back on the counter, a pair of suitcases by the island.

Wait…why were they packed?

His eyes flicked to the two girls who were frozen in spot staring at them.

Why were they...fully dressed?

The realization hit him a little harder than he would have liked.

He looked at the glass door only to see a black car waiting outside and he could just barely hear the engine running. He looked back towards Kitty and Marley, his lips parted but no words came out.

"We were going to leave a note." Marley choked in a hushed whisper and Kitty just looked at the ground. There had been a crack in the girl's voice and it made his heart drop in his chest and the blood in his veins run cold.

"A note that said what exactly?" He said coldly. He isn't really sure where the anger is coming from. But there's this part of him that feels like he's a little kid when his dad came home and then left when his mother and him couldn't give him what he wanted. "Is it to explain why you're fucking leaving at five o'clock in the morning without so much as a goodbye?" He didn't even realize that his fist had slammed itself into the wall he was standing by.

"Jake. I'm so sorry—" Marley started.

"Why?" He cut her off because an apology wasn't going to fix this. She had had the full intention to lie. And maybe it was easier for her to do it but he just didn't get it. Especially after everything he had showed her.

Didn't she know that she could trust him?

The brunette girl's lips started to move, her blue eyes utterly sad as she tried to grasp the words. Kitty finally looked up a blaze of anger in her eyes. "Because we're moving, you idiot."

He's just about to ask where the fuck they're moving to when a voice breaks the heavy silence, behind him.

"Is that why you left me after I told you that I loved you?" It was Ryder and even though you could hear the exhaustion in his voice, Jake picked up on his hurt. His own brown eyes were widened in surprised and his fingers dug themselves even farther into his palm.

"Look Ryder," Kitty took a deep breath and Jake watched as she summoned a bored look on her face. But he wasn't a fool and he knew Ryder wasn't either. The look in her eyes was one of agony. "I know that you had some sort of dream that maybe I would be able to feel the same as you. But the thing is I was never looking for a relationship—"

"You're lying. Do you think I don't know you Kitty? Do you think that you can so easily fool me? I'm in love with _you_. The real you, not the façade you put up at school. You and only you and I know that you feel—" Ryder tried desperately, taking a step towards her.

However Kitty held up her hand as she squeezed her eyes she. "It was just about the sex for me. I never had any feel—"

This time was Marley who cut Kitty off, by slamming the back of her hand into the girl's shoulder.

"Our father got a job in Atlanta. He gave us one week and our time is up. This is goodbye." Her eyes had been on his the whole time and even though he could read her like a book, he honestly didn't know if the words felt heavy on her lips. And he wanted to ask her but he was too scared of the answer.

He had broken so many hearts but never once had he had a girl break his heart.

Marley was doing a _real _good job because he was pretty sure that it didn't even exist anymore.

She's taking a step forward toward him but he shakes his head as if to tell her not to come near him. Her eyes look to Ryder who's just staring at Kitty in disbelief and he just shakes his head and hangs it low.

His eyes are closed when she mumbles the word goodbye under her breath. It's short and hollow but he doesn't think about the fact that she might have a broken heart. He's too consumed by his own on the inside. He feels like he can't breathe.

When he opens his eyes it's like the party all over again. He's just gotten done dancing and she's disappeared.

He's staring at an empty kitchen and the thing is he's spent his whole life watching her from a distance and now that he got a taste of what it's like to _not _be at a distance he doesn't want to lose it. He turns towards Ryder and gives him a look before looking at the door.

They both start running at the same time.

The muscles in their legs crack as they run down the street and their breaths are shallow as they yell out the girls' name. The black car is already too far away in the distance.

They had been too late.

* * *

He leans forward towards the piano as his fingers slam on the keys. The pain is bleeding into the melody of the song and the lyrics as well. He's on the last chorus and just like it had been when he had been standing at the end of the street that day; it's beating a mile a minute.

And it hurts because he knows that he'll never open his eyes and see her again. He knows that when she had said goodbye it had really meant goodbye.

Because they weren't ever going to see each other again.

"_Like autumn turns leaves, winter will breathe cold on our necks. Snow in our paths. Wherever she goes, all that I know about us is that beautiful things never last. That's why fireflies flash._"

His tongue swipes over his lips and he finally opens his eyes. He doesn't look at the crowd and he doesn't look towards Ryder. Instead he looked out the window, across the street at the bench just under a street light. Usually it's empty but this time there's two people on it. He can't really make out their faces; their heads are bowed into the shadows from the light above them. He can see their hair however. One of them has the golden rays of the sun cascading down her shoulders and the other's got a waterfall of dark brown hair. It makes his throat constrict and he closes his eyes again.

"_That's why fireflies flash, oohh, ohh._"

His hands slide off the keys and when he opens he looks at Ryder before looking back at the window, to find an empty bench.

He can't help but think back to the song he had just sung and he shakes his head before exiting the stage as the sound of the applause fades out.

Beautiful things never last.

* * *

**A/N**: And here it is! The grand finale! I had planned to have this posted yesterday but then I winded up going to bed early so I didn't get it done. I would have had it posted this morning but I was out a lot due to birthday festivities so I just finished it up now. I would love, love, love to hear what you guys think of the chapter and maybe if you'd be interested to see other fics for either of these ships in the future. So please shoot me a message or leave a review. Just let me hear your feedback. Most importantly I hope you enjoyed this fic! Thank you so much for reading!


	5. Author's Note

Now, now, don't get your hopes up this is just an author's note from yours truly. As I have seen on my writing blog on tumblr (kaitywritesthings if you want to check it out) and the reviews on here, a lot of people thought that the last chapter of this was a little sad. I won't even lie, it really was sad. Haha. I even got asked by a Guest Reviewer to make a happy epilogue. However I am not going to be doing that. I like where I left the story and I want to let everyone's imagination wander. As of right now the story is opened ended.

All the reader knows is that Jake opened his eyes to see a bench with a blonde and a brunette and then he closed his eyes. When he opened them they were gone. You could choose to think it was a hallucination of his mind or that it was really them but they left or something.

You don't know because it was in Jake's point of view, not Ryder's, Kitty's, or Marley's. Which you would probably really only find out if it was them if it was in one of the girl's point of view because Ryder was in the bar as well. Not to mention Ryder and Jake have no idea what either of them have done since they moved. They've been in no contact. So it's open-ended. You can choose to believe that it's all just one big thing of lost love or you choose to believe that Kitty and Marley went on one big quest to find their true loves!

So with that I shall wrap up this explanation up and let you wonder if it was _really_ Kitty and Marley or not! I hope this somewhat mended your broken heart, since I get the feeling that may have happened to you!

But fear not, if you don't want to rile up that head of yours about the ending! You will be able to see some sort of continuation for it since the lovely roleplayers behind a beautiful Kyder/Jarley 2x2 are going to be bringing the post-plot to life! So if you want enjoy what I have no doubt a riveting story that will tug on all of your heartstrings please follow the following tumblr blogs:

kittyw-ilde. (Kitty's blog).

rebelliousdancer. (Jake's blog).

ryding-dirty. (Ryder's blog).

stereoheartedgirl. (Marley's blog).

Thank you so much for reading this story and sharing your thoughts. I hope that you follow this rp and enjoy it just as much as I know I will. They're all going to do the characters and their dynamics from this story justice, I just know it. Once again thank you and I look forward to seeing you next time I publish a Jarley and/or Kyder fic!

-Kaity.


End file.
